


Welcome Aboard

by buffchester



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sherlock (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Case Fic, F/M, Gen, It's For a Case, Molly joins Stark Industries, Sherlolly - Freeform, Stark Tower, deductions in the Big Apple, tags will be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-03 18:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1754111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffchester/pseuds/buffchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly Hooper joins Stark Industries as the new head of the Biology Department, and Tony calls Sherlock in to investigate a mysterious security leak.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly do not know what I'm going to do with this. It kind of popped into my head, so I don't know if I'll continue this or what. Will be pondering. :)

The door opened with a loud bang, upsetting a beaker full of boiling violet liquid.

“Bloody hell!” exclaimed Molly Hooper, taking the towel offered to her and clearing it up.

“Ah, English curses. My favorite thing to hear first thing in the morning.” Tony Stark strode into the—well, his—lab, Pepper Potts following behind him, looking severely disgruntled. She mouthed a “sorry” to Dr. Banner, who just shook his head and grinned. “Bruce! Who do we have here?”

Molly, face red, smiled quietly at Mr. Stark. After only a few days of working with Dr. Banner, she had yet to meet her new employer, but of course she knew who he was. There wasn’t a person in the world who didn’t know about Tony Stark, about Iron Man, and now, about the Avengers.

“Dr. Molly Hooper. She’s your new head of Biology.”

“We have a Biology Department?” Pepper stared at him with wide eyes before he could hastily add, “A joke! Pep, just a joke.” Molly wondered if it could be possible that he really hadn’t know that. Bruce’s face told her it was entirely possible he really hadn’t known that.

Molly extended her right hand, still holding the towel. She quickly tossed it onto the table, laughing nervously, and held it out again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark.” Tony took her hand and shook it, smiling at her.

“Please, only people who don’t work for me call me Mr. Stark. So it’s Tony, or you’re fired.”

“Of course. Tony.” Molly smiled at her new employer, and glanced over at Pepper, who was beaming at her. Pepper had been her main contact through the hiring process, and had even been instrumental in procuring housing and other relocation needs. Thanks to Pepper’s shrewd negotiations, Toby had avoided quarantine, and Molly would feel forever indebted to her.

“Dr. Hooper comes highly recommended from King’s College London, and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital,” Pepper piped up, causing Molly to blush once more.

“So you know how to sweet talk teachers and coworkers,” Tony said with a wink. “I like that in an employee. What’s your specialty?”

“Forensic pathology. At—at Bart’s, I performed autopsies to determine cause of death. I worked in the morgue.” Tony’s eyes widened, and Molly was suddenly self-conscious as she talked about her work. Her eyes darted down to her shoes. “A lot of people are a little—uncomfortable when I mention what I do—er, what I did.”

“No, no! It’s fascinating!” he exclaimed. “And you don’t have to worry about being a little weird. I’m not exactly Joe Normal, ya know, and Bruce over there,” Tony flicked a hand in Dr. Banner’s direction, “may be the most brilliant physicist alive, but—eh, you don’t want to see him when he’s angry. Actually, you really do, it’s amazing.”

Molly smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Mr.—er, Tony. And thank you for the job, I won’t let you down,” she added brightly.

He smiled back at her. “We all know I had nothing to do with your hiring,” he glanced over at Pepper, who grinned back at him. “But I trust Pepper more than anyone. You’ll be fantastic. Welcome aboard” He gave Molly and Dr. Banner a salute and swept out of the room. Pepper stayed behind a moment, taking Molly’s hand and squeezing it.

“He’s right. You’ll be fantastic.” After a smile and a wave to the two scientists, she turned to follow Tony, who was already gone, leaving Molly in a daze. Dr. Banner saw her reaction and grinned.

“He can—be a lot.”

“You’re not kidding.”

“Shall we?” He held up an empty beaker, ready to begin their experiment again.

“Absolutely! Just one moment, if you don’t mind. Need to send a message.”

“Of course, take your time.” 

Molly took her mobile from her pocket and began scrolling through her contacts. When she got to the one she was looking for, she started a new message.

_John,_

_I would have sent this to S, but I don’t think he’d be half as impressed. I just met my new boss! That’s right, Iron Man himself! I’m giddy! Talk later!_

_Molly_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm continuing this! I got basically zero response on this story, but I don't care, I'm liking it. So here it is.

“John. Good. You’re awake. You’ve not been answering your texts.”

“Sherlock? Bloody hell. What time is it?” Mary turned over, glaring at her husband. She reached to take the phone from him (and presumably fling it across the room), but was too exhausted to try very hard.

“It’s three thirty. Now, I need your full attention, I’ve found a case. I need you to come to Baker Street immediately.”

“Three thirty? In the morning?! Sherlock, no. I will not—no—I’m not coming to Baker Street. It’s the middle of the night.” Mary was half-heartedly punching him in the arm in her attempt to get him off the phone.

“I’m afraid time is of the essence. This case will require a bit of travel.”

“Where is it?” John immediately regretted asking. There was a pause, and John could practically hear the wheels turning.

“It’s a fascinating case, the head of a billion-dollar weapons company suspects that someone has been leaking designs to an outside party, yet his security system is purportedly entirely flawless.”

“Sherlock, where is the case?”

“New York City.”

“New Y—New York City? Have you gone _completely_ insane? You want to fly across an ocean at three-thirty in the _bloody_ morning for a _case_?” His outburst startled Mary, and she was now resting on her elbows as she listened to the phone call, fully awake. “Sherlock—Sh—listen to me—Sherlock, I’ll talk to you in the morning. No—no, I’m not coming right now. We’ll talk in the morning. Bye.” He hung up and looked over at his wife.

“And what’s that all about, then?”

“Security leak at a billion-dollar weapons company. Not exactly urgent.”

“Billion-dollar weapons company?” John nodded once, lips pursed. “In New York City?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, you know what that is, don’t you?”

John stared at his wife with a furrowed brow. “—No? What are you getting at?”

“John, it’s Stark Industries.”

“Stark Industries? You mean the client is _Tony Stark_? The bloody _Iron Man_?”

“Makes sense. And we do happen to know a certain former Bart’s employee that is currently in the employ of Stark Industries. One who may or may not have taken the job without telling anyone until the week before she left?”

“Molly. But why—”

“Someone’s feeling a little abandoned, you think?”

“You think so? Huh. Molly Hooper.” John smiled with incredulity as he thought of his friend. Now that he thought about it, Sherlock had been especially sulky and foul-tempered ever since the timid pathologist announced she had been offered a job across the pond.

“So you have to go.”

"What? No. No I don't. I won't leave my wife all alone for God knows how long." He shook his head, frowning. Whether or not Sherlock seemed to have developed an affection for Molly Hooper, he couldn't just up and leave the country. He had a family to consider.

Mary smiled at her husband. "Well, you're right about that." John smiled, taking his wife's hand and squeezing it. “I haven’t been to New York in years.”

“Wait, what?” John turned his head quickly and stared at Mary. “You mean--?"

"Oh yeah." Mary wore an enormous smile on her face, and finally John had to follow suit.

“Well, I guess we’re going to New York. Let’s—wait til morning to tell Sherlock, though.”

“Deal. We may be able to get a couple more hours before Mags decides it’s morning.” 

“Mmm, sounds lovely.” John kissed his wife softly and lay his head back on his pillow as Mary snuggled closer. The two were asleep only moments later.

 

_______

 

After a marathon packing session, the Watson family arrived at 221B Baker Street. Before John could open the door, it swung open and Sherlock was standing in the doorway.

“About time you got here. Good to see you, Mary. Margaret, you look well.” He nodded toward the blonde baby girl in Mary’s arms, who cooed and blew bubbles.“So nice of the two of you to see John off, but we must be going right away.”

John shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to be the one to tell him they were up two on their little adventure. Instead, Mary smiled serenely and watched Sherlock a moment as she waited for the penny to drop.

“Two suitcases, satchel for baby supplies stuffed to the gills, Margaret is wearing comfortable layers—you two are coming with us?” He lifted an eyebrow as he eyed his friends suspiciously.

“Brilliant deduction, Mr. Holmes.”

“Why?”

“We’re due a holiday. And I thought it might be a nice surprise for Molly. I know she’d love to see Maggie,” Mary replied with a Cheshire grin.

“What does Molly have to do with anything?” Sherlock answered snappishly.

“Well, she lives there now, doesn’t she? It would be rude to come all that way and not pay her a visit,” said John, playing the voice of human reason. He said this seriously, but the ghost of a smile played about his lips.

“I suppose that makes sense,” he assented, twitching slightly. John knew that he was not nearly as good at lying as he was at ferreting out liars, but he played along. If Sherlock wanted to remain in denial of his reason for taking the case, he would humor him.

“Right then. Off we go,” said John, hailing a passing cab.

__________

 

The seven-hour flight was met with little incident. Baby Maggie fussed surprisingly little, much to the pleasure of everyone in their section of the plane. As they exited, Mary took the opportunity to shoot a haughty glare at the flight attendant who had given the group a look of terror the moment she saw the baby.

They took a cab to Stark Tower, the three Watsons oohing and ahhing over the city. Sherlock didn’t really see the point, as he thought London was clearly the better city, and he couldn’t imagine what could have possessed Molly when she decided to take a job here, anyway.

Upon their arrival, Sherlock led the way, marching up to an intercom at the front of the building. He pressed the button and waited.

“Please state your name and business,” an English-sounding voice greeted them.

“Sherlock Holmes—” he glanced around at his entourage. “—And _guests_ ,” he continued with an eyeroll. Maggie giggled and squealed in her mother’s arms. “I’m here to see Mr. Stark.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Welcome, Mr. Holmes. Please enter and wait in the lobby. I shall notify Mr. Stark of your arrival.” The door opened to them and the four stepped into a lavish lobby, surrounded by steel and glass, with a glass staircase winding down the center. It was empty, but for Sherlock and the Watsons.

“I’m afraid Mr. Stark is otherwise engaged at the moment. Ms. Potts will be here to greet you shortly.” John looked around the room for the voice, but could find no one.

“Artificial intelligence software. Fascinating,” remarked Sherlock.

“Tony—Mr. Stark created JARVIS himself.” Pepper Potts descended from the staircase smiling at the group. “I doubt he’d be able to live for a week without him.” She stopped in front of Sherlock and extended a hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Holmes. I’m Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries.”

Sherlock shook her hand and nodded, looking her up and down, prepared to deduce her. Pepper chuckled, prompting Sherlock to look up and narrow his eyes at her.

“She said you do that. Molly, I mean.”

“Did she?”

“Oh yes,” Pepper replied with a smile.

“You’re the one who hired her. But you called her Molly, instead of Dr. Hooper. You’re friends.”

“We are,” Pepper was still grinning. “We’re very glad to have her here. Your girl’s pretty phenomenal.”

“She isn’t my girl,” Sherlock answered, a shade too quickly. Pepper’s grin grew even wider at his reaction. _Surely the detective doth protests too much?_

“I wasn’t implying anything, Mr. Holmes. She said you frequently worked together on cases.”

“Of course.” Sherlock pursed his lips and then smiled tightly. The silence was broken by John loudly clearing his throat. Without missing a beat, Sherlock continued. “Ms. Potts, this is my associate, Dr. John Watson, his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Margaret.”

Pleasantries were exchanged, hands were shaken, and Pepper took a moment to coo over baby Maggie before she returned to the matter at hand.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll give you the tour, condensed version. Mr. Stark will be meeting us later on. He gets a little— _obsessive_ when he’s working on something.”

“That doesn’t sound familiar,” muttered John, sharing an amused glance with Mary. Pepper led the group up the staircase and down a hallway, pointing out meeting rooms and break rooms. After walking briskly through two floors of the business end of Stark Industries, the next floor at which they arrived had a very different feel.

“The upper floors were destroyed in the battle for New York. They’re still in the remodeling stages, and will serve as apartments for colleagues of Mr. Stark.” (“ _Avengers!_ ” Mary hissed to John, to which he grinned.) “These floors, however, house fully equipped laboratories. Molly, as you know, is leading our new Biology department.” Pepper stopped in front of the doors marked “Laboratory 4-04” and turned to the group.

“I’m sure you all are aware of the incident last year involving the Extremis virus.” Pepper shifted slightly, the memories of last year flooding back as she spoke. “Stark Industries is hoping to perfect the formula to the Extremis serum, make it safe for possible use by our military. Molly is working with our top scientists on this project.” 

A loud bang from inside the lab made the group jump, and Pepper’s eyes widened. She gave the group her professional smile before holding up a finger and disappearing through the doors. Sherlock and the Watsons could hear muffled shouting, Pepper’s voice followed by a male voice. A surprised scream, another bang, and laughter, followed by more annoyed shouting. Suddenly the door opened once more, and Pepper appeared. 

“Sorry about that. If you’ll follow me.” Pepper smiled tightly at them again, her eyes betraying her apparent annoyance. They followed her through the doors and into the lab. 

What they found was a state-of-the-art laboratory twice the size of the one they used at Bart’s. Molly Hooper was wearing a lab coat and seated behind a microscope, looking the very picture of the Molly Hooper they knew and missed. She was looking on while two men argued, one hunched over a table with a soldering iron, the other standing.

“Tony, that just isn’t practical. The people who will be using this cannot build their own arc reactor. They need another way to control the power.”

“So we have to think outside the box.”

“That solution isn’t exactly _inside_ the box.”

“Gentlemen! And Molly,” Pepper added, smiling at her friend. “We have guests.” Molly looked over at the group, and her face broke into a wide grin the moment she saw her friends. She stood, practically running over to them.

“Sherlock! And John and Mary! You _all_ came!” She pulled Sherlock into a tight hug, catching him off guard. His eyes widened at the intimacy of the gesture, but he finally relaxed, patting her on the back awkwardly. She pulled away and he smiled at her sincerely. She returned his smile, continuing. “I’m glad you came.”

“Sounded like a good case. It’s—it’s nice to see you, Molly Hooper.”

“That’s about as sweet as he gets, eh?” Mary muttered to John, and he chuckled in response. Molly turned her attention to the Watsons, giving them each a hug in turn. She took Maggie’s tiny hand with her finger, talking to her.

“Maggie, you are growing so fast! I’m so glad I’m getting to see you!” She looked up at Mary. “She’s getting more beautiful every day! How was she on the plane?”

“Perfect angel, of course,” Mary smiled. “And how about you? How’s the city treating you? And the new job? Of course, if it’s rubbish, you can just tell us later.” She glanced over at Pepper with a grin and a wink.

Molly giggled. “No, it’s fantastic. All of it, really. I _have_ missed you lot, though.” Molly glanced over at Sherlock, who was watching her intently. “Come! Come meet my boss!” John and Mary’s eyes widened as they realized exactly who the man at the table was. She led them to where Tony Stark was seated.

“Tony, this is Sherlock Holmes.” Tony Stark looked up, considering the detective. He didn’t stand.

“Well, well, well. Sherlock Holmes. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Stark.” Sherlock smiled thinly at the other man. Neither spoke for a moment.

“Did it get cold in here?” Mary whispered to her husband. He had to stifle a laugh.

“I think we’ve found the only other person who thinks as much of himself as Sherlock does,” he replied. Molly heard them both and let out a giggle. They were certainly a pair, facing off like a couple of stubborn cats.

“And this is Dr. Watson, and his wife Mary,” Molly piped up, breaking the tension. Tony glanced over with a small smile and waved at the Watsons. “And Maggie, of course.” She grinned at the baby, who was babbling to herself. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Dr. Banner! Dr. Banner, everyone, everyone, Dr. Banner.”

“Please, Bruce is fine.” He smiled at them, and they exchanged greetings.

Tony put on his most charming smile. “Excellent. That’s done. Now, about the case.” He stood abruptly and walked out of the room. The group stood for a moment, sharing glances. Finally, Tony popped his head back in the doorway. “Did I lose you? Come on!”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn more about the case and Tony has a great idea.

Tony led them briskly through hallways and flights of stairs (Molly could have sworn they doubled back at one point), feeling a bit like they were being dragged through Stark Tower by Willy Wonka. They finally arrived in a nondescript hallway with a single pair of metal double doors at the end of it. Tony smiled as he led them the rest of the way down the hall and to the doors. He opened a keypad on the wall next to them narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion as he scanned the group.

“This is the part where I tell you to avert your eyes—but honestly, if you can get in here, you deserve it. And I may offer you a job.” With that, he punched in a few numbers. A pair of biometric scanners came out of the wall next to it, where he scanned his handprint as well as his retina.

“Welcome back, Mr. Stark,” said the calm voice of JARVIS as the doors slid open. Tony led them into his workshop, filled with the latest tech, the fastest cars, and what looked to be pieces of future Iron Man suit prototypes. Molly and the Watsons looked around in visible awe, while Pepper smiled from them to Tony. Even Sherlock found himself looking from one project to another, keeping his near-enthrallment in check.

“So this is the Batcave,” John remarked as he stared around the room with wide eyes.

Tony chuckled and scoffed. “Please,” he replied, “Bruce Wayne wishes he had this many toys.” They went further through the spacious workshop to a table covered with blueprints and unidentifiable metal parts. He took a seat, leaning back and putting his feet on the table. “So here’s the thing,” he began, waving them around the table. They each found a seat and waited for him to finish.

“Molly has assured me that each of you can be trusted to the utmost. And I ran background checks on you. You,” he pointed at Mary, whose eyes widened, “Not so easy to find, but Molly says you’re good people.” Mary smiled sweetly at him as she rubbed Maggie’s back, feeling uncomfortable. She knew of Tony Stark’s close ties with SHIELD, with whom she had had more than a few run-ins in her checkered past.

“Anyway, someone is lifting information and leaking it. Right now it’s little stuff, client phone numbers, daily stats, trivia.” He waved his hands around to emphasize exactly what he thought of that sort of thing. He and Sherlock seemed to share the habit of deciding what was and was not important. “The point is, you’ve seen how difficult it is to get in here. It’s at least that difficult to get into our records. And if they can do that, they can figure out a way past my system and into here. I don’t share my toys with just anyone.”

His face was serious, and he pursed his lips a moment before turning his attention to Sherlock. “You’re going to help me find out who it is, so I can get rid of them before the worst can happen.”

“And the worst is?” Molly asked softly.

“It’s not just robot suits and clean energy in here. We’ve got big guns, literally. And Extremis. You’ve been working with it, you know almost as well as we do what that could be like in the wrong hands.” Molly had read the case file on the incidents of last year concerning Extremis, and since had been even more motivated to find a way for it to be used safely.

“And you’ve checked your staff, I expect,” piped up John.

“Each employee is checked and triple checked. I oversee the process personally,” said Pepper. “We—that is, Tony and I—are worried that because of his occasional involvement with SHIELD that this may be an anti-government threat of some kind.”

“But so far nothing has been taken more important than a phone number.” Sherlock said. This was a statement, not a challenge. He pursed his lips as he eyed Pepper and Tony.

“We’ve been targeted before. I’ve got an enemies list a mile long, and quite a few of them used to work for me.” Tony stood from the table and paced. He turned to Sherlock. “As I’ve said, if they can get that info, they sure as hell can figure out how to get so much more. I need you to make sure that doesn’t happen. A preemptive strike, if you will.”

Sherlock sat pensively for a moment, unseeing eyes staring straight ahead as he went over everything in his mind.

“I’ll take the case. I will require unlimited access to Stark Tower and the use of your labs. If you do not give it to me I will find a way to get it.”

Tony was unfazed, and waved a hand in his direction. “Done, done, do whatever you need to do. In fact—,” he began, an idea crossing his mind.

“And Molly will work for me for the duration of my stay.”

Molly’s head whipped around to look at him, her eyes narrowed. “What? No! Sherlock, I have work to do. You can’t order me around here. We’re not back at the morgue.”

“So you’re saying it was acceptable for me to order you around when you were at Bart’s?” Sherlock replied with an amused grin crossing his face. “Surely you had work to do there.”

Molly’s face grew a deep shade of pink as she tried to stammer out a reply (she had gotten so much better in the past three years, and yet here we are). “That isn’t the point! You—you know what I mean! I won’t be at your beck and call!” Sherlock’s face went into a pout, and Molly, regaining her footing, rolled her eyes at him. “I will help you. As a _friend_ ,” she added forcefully. “But after I’ve finished my work.” Sherlock was grinning now, quite pleased. “And you won’t order me about!”

Sherlock’s smile was genuine now as he looked at her.  “Don’t worry Molly, we’ll keep him in line,” Mary said with a grin, causing Sherlock’s to drop as he scowled at her.

“Anyway,” Tony interjected, trying to get the group back on track (which amused Pepper to no end), “I don’t want anyone to know that we’re looking into this, so you guys,” he pointed to Sherlock, John, and Mary, “Are going undercover!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness of any postings whatsoever, I'm working a lot and gearing up for my move to NYC, including still looking for a job. So I'm taking a semi-hiatus. I hope to post more often once I'm settled, on this and Magic & Science. 
> 
> In the meantime, wish me luck! The job hunting is horrible and really really hard.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Assumed identities are revealed.

It had been hours since she had heard from Sherlock and the others, and she had to admit she was somewhat grateful. Not that she wasn't glad to have her friends with her in the city, but she hadn't been looking forward to having Sherlock underfoot in her lab, as he was bound to fall back into old habits.

Pepper told her they would be using their undercover identities starting today, and she was a little intrigued. It all felt a bit spy thriller. John would be working security, so he could keep an eye on the comings and goings of the building, Mary in the administrative office, to see if she could get any intel from the business side of things, and Sherlock—Pepper didn’t tell her what Sherlock’s cover would be. She couldn’t imagine he would want to be anyone but himself, vain as he is.

Molly was focused on the microscope in front of her, checking testing samples. The lab was silent but for the whir of machines, and she was able to focus completely on the task at hand. Her hand went to the stack of slides next to her, only to touch the bare surface of the table. The end of the line.

“Javier, could you bring me the slides from trial two?” She continued her study of the slide on the microscope while she waited for her lab assistant to bring the next batch. She heard a rustle nearby, and saw the container of slides out of the corner of her eye. “Thank you, Javier.”

“Of course, Doctor Hooper.” Molly froze when she heard the voice that was decidedly _not_ Javier’s. It was deeper, with an English accent she knew quite well. She lifted her head and stared at Sherlock Holmes with wide eyes.

He was dressed like a boyish graduate student, wearing his white lab coat over a button up shirt and a thin tie, his hair a little more rumpled, and topped off with a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and a lopsided grin. Not that she would ever tell him, but it was a look he wore very well.

“Sherlock, what are you doing here?” He silently pointed to his name tag, which read:

Sherlock Holmes

_Lab Assistant_

“So your cover is—” He quickly placed a finger over his lips, eyes darting across the room. Javier was on the other side of the room, working diligently. It would not do for him to overhear. “So you’re my new lab assistant.” He nodded, still smiling at her. “So you’ll be working for me, for a change,” she added in a whisper, a smirk on her face. Sherlock allowed a small eyeroll before returning to the matter at hand.

“This—” he turned to make sure the other assistant was still busy as he replied in hushed tones. “This is so I can keep an eye on the employees working on the scientific research. This is where the most dangerous information comes from, after all.”

“That makes sense. Nice outfit.”

“Hiding in plain sight is my specialty,” he said with a self-satisfied grin.

“Isn’t it just?”

“There is another bit about my cover that Pepper may have neglected to mention.” He looked slightly uncomfortable, an expression Molly was not accustomed to seeing on the usually overly-confident Sherlock Holmes.

“What’s that?”

Sherlock glanced over to where the other lab assistant was hard at work, humming a song Molly had heard on the radio this morning. After confirming that Javier could not be paying less attention to the pair, Sherlock turned his attention back to Molly.

“Part of my cover is that our relationship is to be—more than professional.”

“We have to pretend to be friends?” Molly asked with an amused smirk on her face. “Think I can do that. Can you?”

Sherlock kept his lips pursed for a moment before replying. “No, Molly. More.”

Molly lifted an eyebrow, a little puzzled. After a moment the penny dropped, and her eyes widened. “Oh! I—Sherlock, are you sure? I mean, is it really necessary?”

“It will ensure that we are able to spend more time together on the case without raising suspicion.”

“I suppose, but surely there’s another way to go about it, I’m sure Pepper wouldn’t mind if—”

“It was actually my idea,” Sherlock quickly interrupted. Molly gave him a look between confusion and constipation. Certainly not what she had expected.

“But—why?”

“Like I told you. I’ll be using the lab and your expertise quite frequently, if I’m supposed to be in love with you, wouldn’t I want to be around you more than usual? No one must suspect. We can’t have anyone taking further precautions to hide their intentions.”

“Very well. I suppose that makes sense. Do I—I mean, am I supposed to return the feelings?”

“Not at first. The story is that we worked together professionally in London, which we did, but were never more than colleagues. We should be as realistic as we possibly can.”

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

“I always do,” he replied simply. _Always so humble_ , Molly thought. “Now, I believe it is nearly five o’clock. Time to get started.” Sherlock looked over to Javier and then back to Molly, who narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t imagine what was up his sleeve this time. He walked over to where Javier was working, bumping into him. “Sorry, mate.”

“No worries, man.”

“Javier, it’s nearly five, would you like help clearing up?” Molly listened with a mixture of suspicion and pride. He was offering to help. She supposed affable and cooperative were qualities of Sherlock Holmes, Lab Assistant.

“Nah, man. I’ve almost got it. You take off.”

“Cheers.” Sherlock raised a hand in farewell, and Javier returned the gesture.

“Later.”

Sherlock walked back over to where Molly was putting away the slides. His hands were in his pockets and he was somewhat slouched, the very picture of an apprehensive student.

“Doctor Hooper—I—I wondered if you would do me the honor of allowing me to walk you home. It’s rather late, and I know you usually prefer to walk, rather than take the subway.” He glanced over at Javier, who shot him the thumbs up. Molly flashed a sweet smile up at Sherlock.

“Thank you very much, Sherlock, but I can manage.” She turned and quickly walked into her office, gathering up her things to go home. Tote bag slung over one shoulder, she walked over to her two assistants. “I’ll see you both in the morning. Tomorrow I would like to finish writing up the reports on trial two so we can present them at the next meeting.” She finished with a wide smile and a cheerful, “Goodbye!”

Dr. Molly Hooper walked out of the door with a satisfied grin on her face. This would be quite fun, indeed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Sherlock, isn't that CONVENIENT. ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Got this out sooner than expected, but don't expect updates to be very regular. As I mentioned before, I'm moving (NEXT WEEK! Eek!), so I have a lot to get squared away. Fun fun.


End file.
